Australia and New Zealand are blessed with many world-class golf courses. Here are some destinations that are great for golf, boating and an array of other activities.
Melbourne, Victoria
The Victorian capital needs no introduction with so many wonderful things to do, see, eat and drink. Visit the National Gallery of Victoria, the Melbourne Museum of Art, or get yourself behind bars at Old Melbourne Gaol. The tour here is fascinating, especially hearing about Ned Kelly’s missing head. Spend time in vibrant Fed Square, do a tour of the MCG – the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere – or better still, see a game.
Admire the street art in laneways such as Hoosier Lane or catch a tram to St Kilda. Go for a sail on Port Phillip Bay, shop up a storm at the Queen Victoria Market – it has been operating since 1878 – and spend time cruising along, kayaking on, or sitting by the Yarra. For the best views over the city, head up to Eureka Skydeck, which soars to 88 stories. Venture out on the Edge, have a cocktail or enjoy an amazing meal at Eureka 89 restaurant.
Golf
Why play at one course when you can play at a bunch of them! The Melbourne Sandbelt consists of a number of highly ranked golf courses that are quite close to each other and all championship courses. The list is impressive, including Royal Melbourne Royal Melbourne (East and West), Kingston Heath, Metropolitan, Victoria, Commonwealth, Huntingdale, Yarra Yarra and Peninsula (North and South). Royal Melbourne Golf Club’s West Course, that opened in 1931, is often regarded as the best course in Australia and one of the best golf courses in the world. Like the other Sandbelt clubs, Royal Melbourne is a private club.
Visit royalmelbourne.com.au
Hamilton Island, Queensland
Pass the sunscreen and study the cocktail list as this sun-drenched island in the Whitsundays is holiday heaven. Or cruise over in your own boat and book it into a casual berth at Hamilton Island Marina – ahead of time. Fly over the Great Barrier Reef, admiring its rich cornucopia of colours. Do a tour to Whitehaven and majestic Hill Inlet, which must be climbed for the most effervescent of views. Snorkel, dive, swim or beachcomb, when not enjoying myriad activities that Hamilton offers.
Hamilton Island Race Week is the busiest and most popular event on the Island, as yachts come from near and far to race in the azure blue waters. Go along and watch the action, and add in some days before, or after, to do some of the 60 different activities on and around Hamilton Island, with something to appeal to everyone.
Golf
To play golf, it is a short boat ride over to Dent Island, where you’ll find a par 71, 18-hole championship golf course. When you are done finessing the ball (or balls, as you will lose some), The Clubhouse is so good you’ll forget your score in no time. Designed by Chris Beckingham, this striking building is perfectly positioned to take in the vistas of the Coral Sea, while enjoying a long, lazy lunch.
Visit hamiltonisland.com.au
Bridport, Tasmania
Situated around an hour’s drive from Launceston, Bridport is a lovely coastal town known for its wines and its fishing. You can try your luck too; charter a boat to go sports fishing in Bass Strait or hire a small boat to potter around Anderson Bay, which has plenty of lovely private beaches. Explore the Wine Trail and taste test such well known cool climate vineyards as Jansz, Delamere, Clover Hill, Bay of Fires, Sinapius Wines and Pipers Brook.
Visit the world’s largest privately owned lavender farm, Bridestowe Lavender Estate, which will tantalise your senses and fill your Instagram feed. If you are into seafood, namely scallops, this is the place for you as Bridport is the state’s spiritual home of tasty morsels. The Tassie Scallop Fiesta is on Sunday 30 July, celebrating everything about these bivalve shellfish. But let’s not kid ourselves, one of the main reasons people flock here is to play golf.
Golf
One word. Barnbougle. This place is a siren call to golfers far and wide who come as if conjured to play its famous courses. There are three, including The Dunes and the Lost Farm which are wild, beautiful and challenging, and the shorter Bougle Run, which is slightly less difficult and has 14 holes.
Visit barnbougle.com.au
Napier, Hawke’s Bay, North Island
Known as ‘Food and Wine Country’, the Hawke’s Bay region is truly spectacular. The scenery is striking, and there are many ways to get and about amongst nature. Walk up Te Mata Peak, venture down the Mohaka River River on a rafting trip, stroll around beautiful Napier with its Art Deco architecture, and for something special, do a tour to the gannet colony with Gannet Overland Safaris. Between September and May, gannets come here to breed and raise their chicks on the cliff edge of Cape Kidnappers. It is a wonderful sight.
Golf
On the bucket-list of all golfers, Cape Kidnappers was designed by renowned golf architect Tom Doak. Fairways sit on soldierstraight clifftops that drop into the ocean from fingers of land, and every one of its holes has jaw-dropping views over the Bay. The course’s signature hole is the par-five 15th, known as ‘Pirate’s Plank’, where golfers are challenged to hit their ball over a gorge to hit the green.
Visit robertsonlodges.com/the-golf
Queenstown, South Island
This vibrant lakeside town really needs no introduction, packed from its sandy shores to its pretty mountaintops with things to do and scenery to immerse in. Ride on some of the many bike tracks, from flat and easy to hilly and hard, fly on a jetboat up shallow, braided rivers or putter across Lake Wakatipu on the historic TSS Earnslaw. Go flyfishing, take the leap of faith bungy jumping, or just eat and drink your way around this picture-perfect place.
Golf
Jack’s Point, designed by John Darby, is a superb and visually striking course framed by The Remarkables range and the mirrorclear lake. The 18-hole course is designed by John Darby and is just 20 minutes out of Queenstown. The course is challenging and offers golfers five tee positions to choose from, providing all golfers an unforgettable golf experience. The signature hole is the par-3 4th, which requires golfers to hit their ball over a deep ravine to reach the green.
Visit jackspoint.com
Story by Helen Hayes.
You can read the full article in the June-July 2023 issue of Nautilus Marine Magazine. For more boating news, features and interviews, subscribe to Nautilus Marine Magazine here.